Waterbury evening Democrat., 1887-12-20
| 0R SERVICE PENSIONS.
CALL FOR A NATIONAL CONVENTION
 OF VETERANS

To Indorse the Cent a Day Pension Ser vice-The Gathering to be Held in New York City on March 1, 1sss-Text of the Bill.
 NEW YoRB, Dec. 20.-The executive com mittee of the Rated Service Pension associa tlon met yesterday and issued the following address and call for convention to indorse the cent day service pension bill
 HEADQUARTERS RATED SERVICE PEN SION ASSOCIATION, Room 1Oo Tribune Building, Executive Committee.
 NEW YORK; Dec 19. To the Veteran Soldiers and Sailors of the
 Civil War:
 The committee addressing you was ap- pointed by the above association Dec 10. with power to agitate the question of a rated service pension on the basis of one cent month for each days service rendered. Tho work of this commit tee, as we'll as that of the association which it represents, is in- formal, and we recommend a convention of veterans to form a national organization to complete the work begun by the present as- sociation. Pending the formation of such national organization the committee asks ycu to consider the following points:
 Whatever improved pension legislation is received must be done within the next few months, and this is the time to act.
 The people are disposed to do justice to the veterans, and we need but to state our case clearly and base it upon principles of equity and fairness and we can succeed
 We should agree upon a measure that vet erans everywhere can defend, one that the press can advocate and one that the people ait large will heartily indorse. We should work together body of vet erans, without regard to the claims of tn various military societies to which we belong. This cause is common one, appealing to every old soldier. We should present our demands as claim for justice, and should spurn the idea that we sue for bounty or for gratuity. The ser vice rendered by the soldiers and sailors of the civil war has not been adequately paid for There was discrimination. The mer- chant and the capitalist who furnished the supplies and funds realized enorm ous gains by exacting war prices. The soldier served the government at the governments own price. The army collectively was impres essed, although individually each man volunteered The nation called upon each state for definite number of men, and the army and navy was made up of men who volunteered to meet the call. Had these men not volun- teered every other man in the country fit for duty would have been drafted. One man out of every two would have been compelled to go to the front had not tho veterans of to- day gone to the rescue in lS6l-65
 The bill which is submitted with this ad- dress has been adopted by our organization, and it will be presented at this session of congress. Its merits arc many, the principal ones being those relating to evidence, the manner of voting, the justcs secured to men of different terms of servica a ld it's re- striction to the single feature of pen sions for service actually rendered.
 In order to create national organization in the quickest time we earnestly recom- mend to the veterans that steps be taken at once to form associations in each assembly district and selec. delegates to national convention, to be held at New York city, on the 1st day of March, 1885,
 6. J. SMITH.
 c. A. WELLS.
 J. B. HAYES
 J. A. JOEL.
 GEORGE L. KILMER The following is copy of the bill referred to in the address: